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Chonobi Culture
The origin of the Chonobi culture lies not on the western continent but from overseas. Some sources depict that the Chonobi arrived in various locations more than a millennium ago. The reason what drove the Chonobi to arrive in such large numbers on the western continent isn't entirely certain. What is certain was that it would start to influence various regions drastically and affect the Chonobi culture as well, depending on the various regions they started to inhabit. Migration and Impact Though the major Chonobi clans reside in the Empire of Akino in the present day, there are more regions which are or have been affected by Chonobi actions and presence. Over time, the interaction with other cultures has affected the Chonobi culture. Differences would slowly surface and caused variants that would be surfaced within the various clans. Currently, there are the three major Chonobi clans residing in the Empire of Akino. They go by the names of Cho, Hon and Sarutobi. Though they differ in some traditions and manners, they still have a lot of similarities with each other. Interactions through both conflicts as cooperation would lead to that these clans would be able to hold on to their culture and language. Interesting enough is that the Sanosuke Clan in the northern sphere of the Lightning country has clear influences from the Chonobi culture. While they don't speak the language, being more affected by the Taika culture, they still have various manners and traditions that are more adhering to the Chonobi culture than that of the Taika. A similar effect can be witnessed within the Hotspring province, where many Chonobi settled during their second migration southwards. While the majority of the population in the Hotspring province isn't what one could call Chonobi, there are various traditions and manners that align with the culture. Likely to be of various groups of Chonobi settling down or influence from the rise of the Hon Houses - as the close proximity to the Hon clan heartlands. Chonobi Faith Though the Chonobi are united by age old alliances and bonds, they have some differences in their faiths. Much like how they have similar traditions with some difference, so is the same for their faith. They do believe in the same afterlife but to give an example, Hons don't believe praying will do anything but upset the Gods or their ancestors while the Sarutobi and Cho have different rituals to please the deities and ancestors. In general, the Chonobi have a neutral standing towards other religions and faiths as long as it doesn't conflict with their ways - or outsiders threatening and insulting the ways of their ancestors. Language The language of the Chonobi is one that varies heavily from Taika and Yakimara. To many outsiders of the Chonobi culture and clans, it can come over harsh and short but the Chonobi consider their language as a vital part of their heritage. For almost ages, there haven't been many that were able to grasp the language. This has been due to various facts. During the early days when the Chonobi landed on the western continent, they were much harsher and fiercer with protecting their heritage from being influenced and 'polluted' by the Taika. Over time as the Chonobi settled down and started to interact more with the Taika culture, there seemed to be some room for others to decipher parts of the language that seemed so enigmatic when compared to Taika. This likely was due to the Chonobi becoming less harsh towards others showing interest in their culture but together with the Chonobi using the Taika language, as well some lingering wary feelings towards outsiders using their language, there haven't been many in the past that were able to fully understand the Chonobi language. These days, it is rare for somebody of non-Chonobi origins to speak or understand the language. Various people over time have been able to communicate with Chonobi in their language as after the finding of the Empire of Akino, a rising interest has been noticed. Yet, the number of people who are being taught or learn the language is still a very small group. Sayings Some sayings that the Chonobi culture shares with one another, the origin of the phrase written behind the saying. * "Death smiles at everyone, we will smile back." - Hon saying * "Here's to cheating, stealing, fighting and drinking. If you cheat, may it be death! If you steal, may it be a woman's heart! If you fight, may you fight for your kin and if you drink, may you drink with me!" - Sarutobi/ Adani saying. * "You can't argue with Blackroot logic, cause it is usually followed up by an arrow you won't see coming." - Sarutobi saying. * "There is a battle between two wolves in each of us? We feed both and now they fight our enemies." - Hon saying. * "Better die fighting than living your life on your knees." - Cho saying. * "The problems that lay before you aren't as half as strong as the ancestors that smile upon you." - Cho saying. ' Clothing The clothing of the Chonobi culture is aimed to provide some comfort and simple detail. While there are, of course, subtle differences between the clothing of the three clans there is a general fashion in the culture group. In general, there seems to be a preference for the males to wear pants, even during ceremonial events. It isn't also rare for men who can afford it to wear swords, as it isn't only a weapon of choice but also a statement of how much wealth they have and earn. Brooches and stitched symbols in clothing seem to be the most recurring decorations for men. With the woman, it is more varied as there seems to be no real preference to either skirts or garb with pants. It can be said that some more of the ceremonial clothing is of influence by the Cho clan. Do note that most of these images are serving the purpose to give a clear idea of the fashion of the Chonobi culture. Nobody of the culture group is restricted to wear these kinds of clothing, but it is what the majority of the Chonobi wear in their own land. Clothing3.jpg Clothing2.jpg Clothing.jpg Tunic.jpg Tunic2.jpg F-dress3.jpg|Noble dress. F-dress2.jpg|- Are worn usually by married women - except for the danger-stick. Most women don't carry a danger-stick with them. F-dress1.jpg F-dress4.jpg F-Tunic1.jpg Armour While it can be stated that the Cho clan had the most influence when it came down to fashion it isn't a surprise for many that the manner of armour and equipment is mostly influenced by the Hon clan. The Chonobi culture favours being clad in chainmail or at least some leather protection when marching off to war or any sort of military campaign. While the military is, for the most part, made up of male participants, it isn't rare or strange to see women also enlisting into the military or entering their clan's military service. While each clan has its own preference of warfare and armour, the Cho clan usually equip their military with the same gear that the Hon uses - for various reasons. Some of the Sarutobi who prefer close ranged quarter combat also opt for the more protective Hon design of armour. Sarutobi The Sarutobi aren't the biggest fan of heavy armour. As most of them are deployed and trained being skirmishers, their favourite tactics are hit and run. Which compliments the warriors of the other two clans very well. For this reason, many Sarutobi warriors are clad with lighter armour, which allows them to remain agile and fast participants on the field of battle - making great use of their bows and weaponry to soften the ranks of the enemy before a charge will follow. The most experienced and best of the Sarutobi skirmishers become often part of the Woodland Ravens, which are the elite of the Sarutobi clan when it comes to guerrilla warfare, archery and close quarter fighting. However, it isn't the case that the Sarutobi don't field warriors that are specialised and geared for close quarter combat. In fact, the Blackroot Vale Sarutobi are renowned among the Chonobi clan to be one of the most fierce fighters. Various nobles from the Cho clan even hire Sarutobi warriors as bodyguard and part of their retinue. A small and specialised unit from the Sarutobi that specialises in fighting as the samurai of the Taika, are the War Maidens - educated in various fields, both culture as military. More Sarutobi Footmen.jpg|Sarutobi footmen. Sarutobi - Light.jpg|A typical Sarutobi archer/wood ranger. Sarutobi Footmen.jpg|Another example of Sarutobi footmen. Sarutobi Guard.jpg|A Sarutobi Guard. War Maiden.jpg|A War Maiden Hon The Hon clan has used a variety of armour over the ages. While they didn't stray too much away from the samurai fashioned gear, they did equip their warriors and shinobi with some of their own designs. How much this really typical Hon is hard to say as they have adopted manners from other clans, likely thus also extending to the types of armour that they wore. It's safe however to say with the literature work about the warriors, raiders and shinobi of the clan that they didn't either seem to stray away from heavy or light armor. If anything can be said is that the Hon clan did seem to favor varied kind of chainmail armor for its good protection and likely pre-modern Hons would've regarded it as a high status symbol as good quality was hard and expensive to produce. More often than not, several kind of additions and extensions - using chainmail as secondary layer, after padding and then putting even another layer of armor to protect an area etc - to chainmail armor have been used by the Hons. Typical third layer wear would range from lamellar to scale vests, next to the additions of pauldrons such as these. To prevent chafing at the neck, scarfs and lower face masks were used. Pre-modern Hons even used coloured variations, often depicting the favoured colour of their family or loyalty, which did later, after the dawn of the modern-day Hon, the colours of dark grey or black combined with the colour of their jarldoms. Of course, it's important to know that armour does vary with each kind of different unit. With the Hons not laying a special focus on any kind of military and keen on adopting that clearly works, it can be easily spotted how they use for example Sarutobi wear for light infantry and skirmishers where their more heavy infantry seems to be sporting quite the protective gear - often a combination of both chainmail and plate- such as: Female Hon Warrior.jpg|An example of a female Hon warrior, garbed in steel lamellar armour. Hon Guard Armour.jpg|Typical armour for Hon guards. Kiyomi Brigade.jpg|Lamellar armour used by the Hon clan. Usually made by steel, but in the early stages of the clan, other material such as leather was used as well. Segmented Hon armour.png|An example of heavy Hon armour - segmented plate armour. With chainmail and padding armour underneath, it is quite efficient and yet not too heavy to wear down the wearer. Some influence from the Tokugawa clan. Hon Archer armour.jpg|Steel cuirass armour in the design of the Hon clan. Hon Infantry.jpg|Usual Hon infantry, clad in steel chainmail armour. Cho-Hon Guard.jpg|Another example of steel lamellar armour. This is example is of a Hon Guard, which were - and still are- employed by various Cho jarls and thegns. Hon spear guard.jpg|In the later stage of the Warring Clans Era, the Hon started to use some cuirrasses as well. Supplied by the Cho clan, it was proven to be quite effective in deflecting blows. Heavy Hon armour.jpg|Eclian heavy armour. Made by the smiths in Ecla, this is the heaviest known (and most expensive) kind of armour that the Hon clan can produce. Only the elite within the clan are able to afford it. Some sources state it has its influence from the old war with the Hyuzu. Shinobi The shinobi of the Chonobi from the Warring Clans period have been using likely what they preferred and saw themselves more as - thus light infantry, skirmisher and etc, though it isn't rare to see Chonobi shinobi opting for heavier and more protective gear. Some shinobi of the Chonobi clans, however, have searched for another kind of armour. To be somewhat protective and yet light enough to not wear them down. While most shinobi during war periods seek for better gear, the Chonobi has developed several kinds of light-weighted jackets that still provide some good protection for the wearer. Jackets like these are often designed to protect the vital areas and the steel is often lacquered and painted to be less visible, next to be woven into the fabric and/or leather to not create too much sound during movement. A particular interesting shinobi organisation within the Chonobi Clans is the Cho Guard. Lineages It is hard to separate a pair that shares the same surname as a personal name. In order to prevent too much confusion, there is something known as a family/lineage name. It is thus constructed as: 'Surname --- Personal Name --- Family/Lineage name'. An example would be thus: 'Cho --- Aiko -- Tao'. Family/Lineage names aren't in general really known among outsiders as they are considered quite personal. It is a way for the members of the Chonobi cultures to keep others separated upon introduction towards one another, but to no-Chonobi, this is often a rarity to hear. In some cases, the family/lineage name bears the name of the founder where in other cases it holds a certain meaning. Renowned Lineages These lineages are widely known within the Chonobi clans and even sometimes outside of the Chonobi clans. People from these lineages are considered to have noble blood and a most prestigious name/lineage to them. * The Atsushi Lineage - A Hon lineage. * The Sigeberth Lineage - A Sarutobi Lineage. * The Jin Lineage - A Cho Lineage. * The Tryggve Lineage - A Hon Lineage. Known Lineages These lineages are known within the Chonobi clans but are quite unknown to most outsiders. Some might have heard of them and while considered to a noble lineage, they aren't as prestigious as the more renown lineages. Most, if not all, lineages of the Jarls and some of their important thegns are part of this category. * The Agnarr Lineage - A Hon lineage. * The Orm Lineage, from House Rawon - A Hon Lineage. * The Tashigi Lineage, from the Jarldom of Dagny - a Cho Lineage. Lesser Lineages Lineages from this category aren't considered to be of noble blood but are yet able to trace their bloodline back to an ancestor that founded their bloodline. This is where most lineages are until a member is able to raise it higher through a deed that scores the respective achiever great renown. Sometimes leading to a new lineage. * Nayami Lineage of the Cho Clan. Music and Feasting It is a rare occurrence to enter a pub or tavern without live music. The chance to enter such an establishment from the three clans of the Chonobi culture is almost considered a myth to not enter and be greeted with live music performed by a (small) band and people singing. While the Hon and Sarutobi are known for their martial expertise and the Cho for their trade and wits, the clans are fond of songs and making merry. Already sharing a language together, it isn't a surprise that they share and sing a lot of songs. Songs that go about an ancestor, past days of glory, an anecdote and so forth. Names The Chonobi culture has names that come forth from their own culture. These names are different from Taika in how they are written and pronounced, sometimes coming over quite foreign and difficult for outsiders to understand. Names and nicknames are important for the Chonobi as they reflect their standing and reputation. Most Chonobi have names that are drawn forth from their own culture and clans instead of Taika. However, a Chonobi with a Taika name won't be treated differently. Those who live or were born outside the borders of their clan lands have in general an easier time with a Taika name than with a true Hon, Cho or Sarutobi name. The acceptation of Taika names is also reflected in that some renowned and noble lineages have Taika names instead of more traditional Chonobi names. Traditions The Chonobi clans and people have their own manners and traditions. For example, the Hon and Cho have a different kind of greeting. Then there are also some local traditions, that exist within a jarldom or House. And then there are even some more minor traditions among families, that might go back decades or centuries. But there are various traditions that the majority of the Chonobi culture respect and follow. They are the following: * When entering one's home as a guest, it is expected to hand over your weapons to the host and his family as servants. This speaks of trust and respect for the head of the home. * When accepting a guest, the head of the home is and will be held responsible for their actions. On the other side, the guest has to heed and respect the traditions of the head of the house. * It is considered an act of disrespect or hostility to not offer to drink with his guests. Heads of their homes and families are required to sit at the table with guests as to entertain them, with song or story. The guests are to be expected to do their best to provide their own stories or songs. It is thus also considered a sign of respect and friendship to the host if the guest(s) bring their own drink and share it with their host. * When the host is being attacked, killed or murdered the guests are to be expected to either help or avenge the slight to respect the hospitality of their host. Failing to do so will bring dishonour the lineages of the guests as angering both the Gods and Ancestors for breaking such an ancient code. Symbol of Loyalty and Fealty Loyalty is something that means a lot to the Chonobi clans and people. An oath is treated as sacred by most and thus oathbreakers are held in worse contempt than many other kinds of criminals. To signify that one has come of age or accepted as an adult, a small ceremony is held. The respective young adult is brought to their leader, whatever rank they may be. Receiving a token such as a bracelet, hairpin or brooch - as it can differ in shape and from among the communities in the Chonobi culture -, they all have the same meaning. The respective individual is accepted among their kin and people as an adult and has pledged their fealty to their respective leader. In case that a member of a Chonobi community lives too far from their respective hersir, thegn or higher ranked leader, they can inherit the token of fealty from their parents. This isn't just without any consequences, for the child will inherit the oath of fealty to the same leader that their parents swore loyalty to. However, as a hersir or thegn is loyal to a jarl and a jarl to a clan leader, there are secondary tokens of fealty. These are meant to signify that the person is in charge of a place or is granted a position of leadership. It thus identifies them as being gifted and entrusted with leadership from a jarl or clan leader. Everybody else than a hersir or thegn, only carries one token of fealty. ''To give an example:'' A thegn loyal to the Jarldom of Dagny, gifts the token of necklaces to his subjects. But he wears a ring on which the symbol of his jarl inscribed. Those who are directly loyal to a jarl have a different token than a ring to signify their fealty because not all of them are entrusted with leadership like a thegn. Known tokens: * The direct followers of the Jarl of Magnhild wear a bracelet around their left wrist, upon which the word 'Strength' is inscribed - in Chonobi. The decorations on the bracelets can vary heavily but are always revolved around a theme of Wolves. * The Thegn of Vaugnarstedt gifts his people with a necklace. The pendant shows the symbol of a hammer. * The people of the Keep of Dayi are gifted with a necklace. The pendant shows the symbol of a snarling hound. The Thing In the Chonobi culture, it is an obligation to avenge injuries against their dead and mutilated relatives. Failing in doing so will bring the entire lineage's honour down. A balancing structure was eventually required and placed to reduce feuds and avoid social crises. It is presided by speakers of law, which can be either by figures that are given a legislative title and rank or the leader of a site. A Thing is held at each end of a season. The way how a Thing is held depends on the size of the site. A hersir of a small village will have no trouble to hold a Thing and take a day, going through various cases and topics. For some thegns and jarls, it can be a more complicated matter. With larger (and sometimes urban centres) a Thing is organised in a different manner. It can either last longer or will be organised that various cases will be prepared beforehand. It is often that a Thing goes along with a feast. In small sites, families prepare stands with displaying some of their prized possessions. In the past this was often prized loot gained from the last expedition or war. In larger sites, it isn't much different. Prominent families and lineages do it in a larger scale that give the Thing a more festive atmosphere. Yet, a lot of subtle political struggle or movement can occur, underneath all the festive atmosphere and appearance. Burial Rites Differences exist between the Chonobi clans (and even some local traditions might differ from each other), the burial rites are quite the same over the clans and people. For most folk, they are buried in graves or in some cases cremated with a small ceremony, often with some of their possessions. For leaders and revered hero-figures, the rituals can depend on the area where they passed away. A common rule for Chonobi burials is that the person is that the deceased is buried in the right way. That way the deceased can join the afterlife without their honour damaged or loss of social standing. Also to avoid them to become a homeless soul that wanders eternally. A common rule and practice for leaders is to make a large event out of the burial of their predecessors or relatives. As Last Voyages or Burial mounts are quite expensive, it reflects the social position of the descendants. The Last Voyage In presence of a river or body of water, a boat or ship is built. Many inscriptions will be made into the wood as various possessions are placed in the boat. Then a ceremony is held where the deceased leader or hero will be placed in the boat. As the boat will be gently pushed forward into the water, it will be light on fire. Burial Mount When there isn't the option to allow the deceased to take the last voyage, another option is taken. A small ship (sometimes made of stone) is made. Then the deceased with their possessions or gifts are placed within the ship. Instead of burning it, a burial mount is made. Funeral Ale and Inheritance - Sjaund On the seventh day after the person had died, people celebrated the '''sjaund (the word both for the funeral ale and the feast). The funeral ale is a way of socially demarcating the case of death. It is only after drinking the funeral ale that the heirs can rightfully claim their inheritance. If the deceased were a widow or the master of the homestead, the rightful heir could assume the high seat and thereby mark the shift in authority. In case of thegns or higher socially ranked leaders, it is the usually a bit more complicated but that relies on a number of factors - such as how many potential heirs, rivals and claimants are going to try their luck and win support to gain the leadership and title(s). Any attempt to usurp or wrest control of the deceased leadership or title before the seven days are over or before the sjaund is seen as a grave insult. One that can provoke the wrath of the ancestors and gods alike. It is said that Valdar will personally torment those who break this sacred rule. The only exception is during times of war and crisis. Category:Culture Category:Chonobi Category:Empire of Akino